lesson
A field describes magnetic effects in space
1 · Learn
A magnetic field describes where magnetic forces act. Around a bar magnet, field lines outside the magnet are conventionally drawn from north to south. Closer lines on a diagram represent a stronger field, not physical strings in space.
A compass aligns with the local field. Like poles repel and unlike poles attract, but an unmagnetised magnetic material can be attracted by either pole.
2 · Worked example
A compass near a magnet responds to the local field, which may differ from the direction it shows far away from that magnet.
3 · Your turn
Do drawn field lines represent visible material threads coming out of a magnet?
Check your answer
No. They are a model representing direction and relative strength.
4 · Apply your learning
Interpret an approved field diagram and distinguish direction arrows from the motion of an object.
Adult guidance and safety
Use supplied evidence and approved models. Practical science needs a qualified adult, appropriate equipment and a risk assessment. Do not attempt chemical reactions, heating, mains electricity or solar observation independently. Never request personal health or genetic disclosures.
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Check a calculation · Year 5 onward
Use this only when your teacher or adult allows a calculator for the task. Show your thinking first. It does not replace mental or written arithmetic and does not mark your lesson answer.
Powers, roots and trigonometry · Year 7 onward
Use only when the task allows a calculator. Choose one operation at a time and record your working. Trigonometry here always uses degrees (DEG), not radians. Inverse sine, cosine and tangent return an angle, not a reciprocal. Keep exact fractions and π in answers when requested.
Approximate numerical results use up to 12 significant digits. Inverse sine returns −90° to 90°, inverse cosine 0° to 180°, and inverse tangent −90° to 90°; these are principal values, not every possible solution of a trigonometric equation.
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Follow your teacher's approved method and safety instructions. Record the sample or supplied dataset, conditions, measurements with units and uncertainties where appropriate. Distinguish observations from explanations. A described experiment is not permission to carry it out; do not improvise equipment or invent missing results.
Ask your teacher for support with the method and recording. A prediction is what you think might happen; an observation is what you actually see, hear or feel safely.
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